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Seeker
Author: June Goddess
Isabel sighed tiredly as the front door slammed shut. She and Jesse had had yet another fight. Marriage was not supposed to be this difficult. Yes, she had lied about her origins, but there had been no time to tell him. Their courtship had been a whirlwind, and their marriage was still so new. They were still so new. Maybe that was the problem.
But I love Jesse, she thought in anguish. But maybe love was not enough. Not for me anyway. A bitter burst of laughter escaped her. Memories of Max and Liz, and Michael and Maria over the years flooded her mind. Love was certainly enough for them.
Max and Liz, for God's sake, were the classic Romeo and Juliet in modern times. The star-crossed lovers who always found their way back to each other, no matter what. Max healed Liz when she was shot. Liz left Max to save the world. Max impregnated another woman, and Liz still loved him and forgave him. Liz went to jail for Max. Liz was forbidden to see Max, and left for Vermont. Max died for Liz. Liz brought him back. Tragedy after tragedy, and still they were together.
Michael and Maria… Now that was still a couple that completely baffled her. Michael "Stone Wall" Guerin and Maria "Spaz Extraordinaire" DeLuca. Two people so different, yet both tuned into the same wavelength. Frequently on-again-off-again, they, too, always made their way back to each other. Michael stayed on Earth for Maria. Maria did anything for Michael.
What did she have? A failing marriage, suspicious parents, and a feeling of deep-seated regret. She was beginning to think marriage to Jesse Ramirez had been her biggest mistake. Well, her second biggest. Her biggest mistake was ever letting Alex go. His death had shaken her to the core and left her changed in so many ways. While he was alive, she had spent most of her time looking in any direction but his. It had taken him almost getting over her for her to realize just what he meant to her. So little time they had had before the end.
With a shock, Isabel realized she was sobbing so hard and so deeply she could barely breathe. The pain of losing Alex hit her too deeply to ever heal. She tried to stop but the tears kept coming. How funny. Liz left Max to save the world, to save Michael and me. But the day Alex died was the day my world ended. Her bitter thoughts and cherished remembrances carried her into the world of dreams… A world where Alex had never died. A world where Isabel was happy.
When Jesse came home later, it was to see his wife slumped on the living room sofa, tear-soaked and sleeping. With a sigh and a troubled heart, he gently lifted her and carried her into their bedroom. He tucked her into bed, and pulled a chair to her bedside. Far into the night and the early morning he watched her sleep. Watched her toss and turn. Watched in anguish at the pain he could not ease. He listened to her breathe. Listened to her cries. Listened with despair as she whispered a name not his.